20 reported dead in eastern Congo as militia fighters blamed

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in eastern Congo say at least 20 people have been killed and dozens of homes burned in an attack blamed on militia fighters.

The violence took place in Bwalanda, according to Thomas d'Aquin Mwithi, president of civil society groups in North Kivu province.

The bodies were discovered Thursday after an attack that is being blamed on the Nyatura militia. The victims were members of the Nande ethnic group, and authorities believe the killings may have been in response to the discovery of three bodies the day before that were blamed on Nande fighters.

Intercommunal violence has risen in the last several months as farmers from the Hutu ethnic group have increasingly started migrating into areas dominated by the Nande in search of fertile land.